Willoughby councilman charged with misdemeanor assault

A Willoughby City Council member faces an assault charge after he was accused of punching another man in the face at a Willoughby bar on May 31.
Christopher W. Woodin, 45, who is the city’s Ward 1 councilman, turned himself in to Willoughby police on June 29 after a warrant was issued for his arrest, said Willoughby Police Lt. Tom Trem.
On June 1, a man reported that he was assaulted by Woodin at the Lakeshore Lounge, located at 38770 Lake Shore Blvd. in Willoughby.
According to the police report of the incident:
The adult male victim said Woodin came into the bar at about 11 p.m. and sat down next to him. After talking for a while, the victim said he told Woodin that he was “a low life” for how he treated a woman that the victim claimed to know.
At that point, the victim claimed Woodin punched him on the right side of his face, knocking him to the floor, and then punched him in the face several more times when he was on the ground. A bartender helped get Woodin off of the victim and Woodin then left the lounge on his motorcycle.
When speaking with the victim, the police officer noted, “I could see he had cuts beside his right eye and on his eyelid.”
Police then later spoke with Woodin, who told a different version of what happened. Woodin stated that he was shoved first by the alleged victim, so he shoved him back, causing him to fall and knock over a few bar stools. He then left the establishment.
The officer inspected Woodin, including his hands, but did not see any injuries or swelling.
According to Willoughby Municipal Court records, Woodin was charged with first-degree misdemeanor assault. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for July 10. Willoughby Mayor David Anderson said the city’s lawyer passed the information of the arrest on to an outside prosecutor.
“We wanted a separate opinion from someone not connected to the city,” he said. “It’s my experience that there are always two sides to a story. I’m sure there are two sides to this one and that’s ultimately what our court system is for: to listen to the two sides and adjudicate as best they can.”
Should Woodin be convicted, Anderson said it is up to City Council or the citizens of Willoughby to remove Woodin and that his office would not make a decision on any possible reprimands.
Council President Jerry Ranally said council will postpone a decision until after a decision is made in court.
“I don’t believe it’s appropriate for council to take any action until we see the results of what the legal system does with the charges,” Ranally said July 3. “We’ll let the legal system hear the arguments on both sides and go from there.”
Calls to two listed phone numbers for Woodin were not immediately returned as of 2:45 p.m. July 3.

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